Equestrian's Jordan Allen is Happy to be a Role Model
South Carolina equestrian freshman Jordan Allen wants to stand out for all the right reasons. While she is proud to be the first African American to ever compete for the Gamecocks in equestrian, Allen is happy to be a role model for anyone.
“Both are important,” said Allen, who is studying exercise science with dreams of becoming an anesthesiologist. “I didn’t really think about being the first here. I think it’s pretty cool but being a role model is more important to me.”
“She was recruited because she could compete,” said South Carolina head coach Boo Major. “(Assistant Coach) Kristen (Terebesi) recognized her talent way before she became extremely competitive. We were on to Jordan early. We’re very color blind. That’s what is needed. She is like everybody else. She took on a leadership role immediately.”
Although she appreciates the significance of being a minority in her sport, Allen also wants to be known as someone who is good at what she does. At South Carolina and in the equestrian community, she isn’t treated as the black equestrian student-athlete; instead she is simply Jordan Allen, the equestrian.
“I don’t think anyone has ever been prejudiced. It’s just that you’re a minority,” Allen said. “Honestly, all of my friends are in the riding community. I wouldn’t say I’ve ever been treated unfairly. I know my true friends and everyone on the team is so much like family to me. I’m just lucky to be here. We’re all just like sisters.”
Growing up in Michigan, Allen became interested in equestrian at 7 years old when she took her first lesson as a birthday present.
“When I first got into it, I did it because I loved horses, and I love being around them,” Allen said. “Then the competitive side of me came out. Initially it was all just for fun, then I started competing, and I love it so much more. I love competition!”
“I get so many kids who tell me on social media that I inspired them to start riding or that they were inspired when they thought they can’t do something.”
Ironically, other than horses, Allen claims she is not an “animal person.”
“I don’t really like other animals,” Allen laughed. “I don’t like cats. They’re too much of a hassle. I got bit by a dog once, so I’m not a fan. What I like about horses is that they don’t have to do anything for us. They’re meant to live in a field, so it’s amazing that they do what they do for us, knowing that they don’t have to.”
With the costs associated in equestrian, Allen understands that horse riding as a sport is not accessible to everyone. She thanks her parents, Sherman and Rhonda Allen, for supporting her passion, but she was also determined to pay her own way and took a year off between high school and college to work at Ashland Farms in Lexington, Kentucky.
“I’ve been so lucky because my parents have been so supportive,” Allen said. “They would have done everything for me, but I wanted to work and prove to myself that I could do it without spending all the money. I wanted to test myself and push myself. I thought it would give me more of a competitive drive, and it did.
“As a working student, you’d do everything from taking care of the horses to talking to the veterinarians to taking care of things at shows. I would work most show weeks starting around 5:30 a.m. and leaving around 6:30 or 7 p.m. It has made things so much easier now because it has taught me so many good things about time management. It was the best year of my life. Ashland Farms is like my family, so I was lucky to do that with them.”
“She chose the hard way to get where she wanted to go. She really wanted to do it on her own by becoming a working student on her own,” Major said. “That’s where more folks recognized her talent. When more folks see that, they start putting you on horses where you might be the only one who can get that horse around, or you can get that horse around the best. They want the horse to be presented to people at its best, and in turn, they might sell that horse and she has to ride another one. She is phenomenal with her talents as far as jumping is concerned. She can pretty much ride anything.”
Ultimately, being someone who was willing to work for her passion is something that makes her a role model for anyone.
“It exposed me to maturity,” Allen said. “I lived alone at 17, which is unheard of. It taught me to take care of things like buying groceries. It made me realize how much money my parents spent on me growing up. Who knew how it all adds up? Doing all that taught me to budget and use my time wisely. So many people who saw that would give me opportunities, and that helped.”
Allen took to the sport well as a youngster, and it wasn’t long before her talent was being recognized. Among her many honors, she was the Grand Junior Hunter Champion at the National Horse Show in 2018, Grand Champion at the Capital Challenge and Grand Champion at the West Coast Junior Hunter Finals in 2019.
“I get so many kids who tell me on social media that I inspired them to start riding or that they were inspired when they thought they can’t do something. It was an amazing year,” Allen said. “I was able to ride a lot of nice horses and take amazing classes, but some days could be horrible. I would fall off or go off course or have terrible rides. There was a lot of blood, sweat and tears.”
Allen was offered a chance to ride for the Gamecocks, and she was a good fit right away, in and out of the ring.
“I’ve loved coming to school here,” Allen said. “I’ve never felt anything but open arms from anyone. In the horse world, I probably knew 80 percent of the kids before I came here. I just hope to make that the norm for anyone who just wants to ride.”
Several stories have been written throughout Allen’s career about being a minority in her sport, but she doesn’t get tired of recognizing the significance.
“I love it because I do get so much feedback from kids, whether it’s about money or their race or their sexuality,” Allen said. “That’s why I wanted to let my (gap) year so well known. Hopefully one day when I’m older and my kids ride, there won’t be such a thing as a minority in riding. It’ll just be like what everyone else does in the other sports.”
